Roots: The Saga of an American Family, 1976

Nearly 50 years after “Roots” swept the nation of America, its impact is still keenly felt. In the aftermath of the tumultuous 60s and in the shadow of the civil rights movement, it changed the way many Americans looked at themselves—and each other—forever.

It started a conversation, which in these still-fractious times, may be as necessary and critical as ever.

Through the story of one family—his family—the author, Alex Haley, brings to life the two-century story of Kunta Kinte, captured and sold into slavery in Africa, transported to the Unites States, and the six generations who came after him.

2 histories, 2 timelines

On one side, the personal story of a family line of slaves, their experiences, pain, suffering and opportunities.

On the other side, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, began as a slave society.

The work forcefully shows relationships between generations and between races.

7 chapters
2 layers of information
Genealogical tree